The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-08-25
yer can put it in again. Twenty-one

Inc mend behind the counter haQ turned
away and was actively engaged in try
ing to assure young man that he must
be crazy for asking for loan of four
dollars on a two dollar fiddle, and by
the time the owner of the fiddle had
agreed to compromise on loan of one
dollar. the Brooklyn man had counted
out the 'twentY-one eighty-fve." He
felt assured that the watch must be
worth great deal more than $21.S5. il
the young gentleman who counted out
money 50 spsringly would only loan
one dollar on a fiddle which the owner
pledged his sacred honor cost ten times
that sum. When the s2l. .S5 had changed
hands, the pawnbroker's assistant
opened q safe and after a minute s
rummaging produced the watch, care
fully wrapped around with brown
paper. The watch was a trumpery
metal one, thinly gold plated, and
worth in store to sell probably about
two dollars.
81 rather think I'll leave this here
and take my twenty dollars back" said
the Brooklyn man after a short e1-
animation. "The watch is not mine,
but as Iloaned some money on the
ticket I wanted to see if it was
genuine"
The young man opened the watch
! and examined it critically.
"Say, what er yer givin' us? This
thing amt worth quarter here, it's
only metal"
"Well, 1 just paid you S21.S5 for it. ~
'Git ouwt! You're tryin' to ring the
changes on US. That racket's played
out"
What do you mean? Do you
dare
20, yer can't bluff us. We'se useter
them tricks here. I'll bet dollar as
you've got the other gold watch in yer
pocket"
i" Then he stopped. He saw
that he was in a peculiar position, for
he had his own gold watch in his pocket,
and this fact might strengthen the &C
cusation that he was ringing the
changes"
''Do you refuse to return me the
twenty dollars paid you?" he asked.
very deliberately.
Certainly. I'll loan yer half case
on that thing. May be as I'll loan yer
the twenty cases on the other watch in
yer pocket" "
"Then I'll put the matter in the
hands of the police" said the Brooklyn
man, as he walked out.
go, you make me tired"
The victim walked to the bridge a
much sadder and wiser man. His ac-
count in the matter stood thus:
Loaned to the poor young man. $500
.sre anu sun1Lles a.,
Thus the ticket fakir was three dol
lars in and the boss or confederate had
sold trumpery two dollar watch for
$21.S5. But Nemesis was stirring and
on the track of this particular fakir.
As the Brooklyn man reached the
Brooklyn side of the bridge who should
he stumble across but that unfortunate
young man, who appeared to be still
trying to raise the necessary funds for
a meal. He tried very hard to deny his
identity, but at this stage newspaper
man CHANGED along, and the victim
begged him to hunt somewhere for
police officer.
stop a minute. Go easy. boss"
said the fellow. Take it cool, an I'll
fix it up for you"
After some parleying he agreed to
accompany the party back to New
York and get the matter Strengthened
out conditionally upon "being let
alone"
"Tll show you how it's DONE" he be-
gan, when closely questioned "It's
pretty good racket, but VIC have to
change about rather quick, for we get
dropped on. You see the pawnbroker's
clerk. and sometimes the pawnbrokers
do it themselves. fake up the tickets
and give them to us. We sell them,
and all we gets clean profit. Of course,
we only sell to people who look as if
they could pay the price on the ticket
and wouldn't like to be showed up for
dealin' in pawn tickets. Andit's strange
that nearly every man that's got
plenty of money in his pocket III jump
at the chance of getting ahead of poor
devil on the pawn-ticket business.
The pawnbroker puts up something
that's not worth the interest, and so
nearly all he gets is clean profit.
There's dozens of 'em doing the busi-
ness. If they're bowled out they crawl
through it by swearing that the money
was loaned by clerk who's been
bounced for dishonesty, or some other
way. or they'll accuse the party with
trying to cheat them by ringing the
changes. The biz is just as full of tricks
rs an eggs full of meat"
BY this time the party had entered
the pawn shop. The fakir held a
whispered conversation with the young
man behind the counter f.r some mo-
ments, when that Writ oIs Young man
said, with honest Incl ;Iatiul ia his
tones:
''Get out of here you loafer:. Tha.
feller there" pointins t, the victi II.
'was in here just nov trying to rim:
the changes on me. If yer stay here
another minute I'll ell in til, D ,lic,.."
Hn=reupon the fakir llil his finger !
knowingly along the south sid" of has
nose and drew the party oI to the side /